Hidden Monsters
by XxTheXBlindXBanditxX
Summary: They were never just a regular group of kids. They never went looking for trouble, but always seemed to find it. Things get worse when one of their friends takes a turn for the worse, and unleashes a hidden monster inside the least likely to have one. Things escalate, and they find that they all have a monster hidden somewhere inside them... (On Hiatus)
1. Bruce's story

**Author's Note: Hey guys, Blind Bandit's back! I have a new story for you! I am in the process of re-writing my previous story, 'Words Hurt'. I restarted it because the whole timeline was really fuzzy, and I was starting to hate it. Plus, I really didn't like the chapters that dealt with Tony's chest injury. In this story, It happened before he and the gang met Bruce, since in the movies (and probably comics) that's how it happened. **

**I just want to say, thanks for all your support on my last story, and I hope you'll move it to this one! Make sure you review, because I love to hear what you think! I love all you readers! Well, now just read and enjoy! Blind Bandit out!**

**I do _NOT_own Marvel or the Avengers**

They had moved again. And one, this move, it was permanent. His dad had finally found a place where he could do his work and not have to move them halfway across the world every six months. Sure, he couldn't exactly say he had been upset when the packed up and moved, had didn't have many friends no matter where they went. Sometimes, he wouldn't make any. But, he was okay with that. Friends would've made traveling so much more difficult.

Not that it wasn't already, with packing, and the airport security, and the settling in and repeating. His life wasn't exactly easy, especially when you took into account who exactly this kid was.

If you took a pinch of shy, a dash of awkward, a heaping spoonful of nerd, a handful of ill-fitting clothing, added glasses and semi-curly hair, and mixed thoroughly, you'd get Bruce Banner. The kid who's always left out, bullied, ignored. The kid who, even through all of that, stayed strong anyway. The kid who found an odd comfort in being alone. The kid who'd rather not tie himself down to friends. The kid who'd never even had a real friend.

Bruce knew his parents worried about him, about the fact that he liked being alone, but he couldn't help it. It's just how he preferred things. He always had. Sure, most eleven year old boys liked to play war games, pretend they were the comic book heroes they all adored. They liked to tease girls, who they were only about a year away from developing crushes on. Bruce knew it wasn't normal, the way he was. He just didn't know any other way to be.

"Bruce, honey?"

Bruce heard his mother voice at his door, and he looked up from his National Geographic magazine.

"Yeah, mom?"

"Would you please at least go outside? Explore the neighborhood?" she asked him. "I'd rather you not stay cooped up in here all day..."

Bruce sighed. As much as he wanted to stay inside, he knew better than to tell his mother no.

"Sure." he closed his magazine. "I'll go right now." the sooner he got it over with, the happier he'd be.

He went down the stairs, and out the back door, through the backyard, and out the gate to the sidewalk. He figured he'd take a walk around the block, maybe linger in a few places just to take up time, an go back in an hour. So, he started his journey, turning right from their house and walking. He passed by a house, where in the front yard, five boys and a girl were playing war. One of the boys held a trashcan lid like it was a shield, another held what looked to be like a cardboard hammer, one had what Bruce assumed to be a tap-light taped underneath his shirt, and another waving around a stick for a staff.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness. On the inside, he longed to play those kind of games with friends. He wanted friends.

He went on his way, though, Not bothering to stop and ask if he could play like he knew his mom would've wanted him to do. He would've been to shy anyways. He kept going, beginning to pass by a building that look rather old, and run-down. He heard a sound down an alley-way, but didn't give it a second thought until he felt someone grab a fistful of the back of his shirt and yank him backwards.


	2. Bruce's Story part 2

**Author's Note: Dudes, totally sorry for the weird tense change. I didn't notice that the last chapter was past tense until I finished this one, and I didn't want to go bak and fix it. The rest of the chapters should be in present tense like this one.**

**Please review and enjoy!**

**I do ****_NOT_****own Marvel or the Avengers.**

He could feel the hot breath on his ear before he heard the voice.

"Where do you think you're going, _punk_?" the voice snarls, and Bruce knows better than to answer that rhetorical question. Too many times had he made that mistake. He could feel himself being shaken, and could swear he felt his brain jostling around inside his head.

"You ain't supposed to be here, kid. Now me and my buddies are going to teach you a lesson you won't forget soon." a new voice says, followed by a smacking sound, and a yelp.

"Idiot! You were supposed to say _'my friends and I are going to teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!'_ how hard is it to remember that?!" another new voice. This one sounds even angrier than that first. Bruce is about to try and turn to see who was speaking, when a tall, lanky boy about thirteen with long, shaggy black hair walks around the person currently holding Bruce back, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I apologize for my friends' insolence..." he says and Bruce almost wants to laugh at the fact that this guy is apologizing. He's about to beat Bruce to a bloody pulp, and he stops to apologize for a memorization error.

Then, he looks Bruce in the eye, and _smiles_. Not a warm fuzzy smile, either. A menacing, scary smile. This guys has _got_ to be crazy. "You've found yourself in a particularly... _Unfortunate_ situation, haven't you?" he asks, keeping his voice low and whispery. "Well, _someone_ has to have fun today, and luck just didn't work in your favor." at this he comes up to Bruce, taking a fistful of the front of his striped shirt, nodding to his other friend to let go of the back. He then pulls Bruce up to his eye level, his feet dangling almost a foot above the ground. "You sir, are in for the beating of your life."

He pulls his right hand back, only to have it connect with Bruce's nose in the form of a fist. Bruce feels the blood beginning to pour down his face, and lets loose a cry of pain. There's going to be a nasty bruise there tomorrow. Bruce feels something like the bottom of a shoe come in contact with his back at the same time that a fist comes in contact with his stomach, knocking the breath out of him.

He sees another punch aimed at his face, and he shuts his eyes and cringes, hoping that it won't hurt.

It never comes.

Instead, the hand holding onto his shirt suddenly let's go, and he feels the ground rushing up to meet him. Instead of hitting the ground, he feels someone's arms slip under his own and stop him.

"Don't worry," Bruce turns around at the voice, one of the boys he'd seen earlier come into his view. "I gotcha, bro." the boy smiles, and Bruce decides he seems kind. He helps Bruce stand, and they both turn and Bruce recognizes the other four kids who he'd seen in that yard, beating the ever-loving snot out of his attackers. To be honest, he's fairly astonished. Those kids are at least four years older than the youngest in that group, and weigh at least twice as much.

He almost doesn't believe his eyes when the _girl _sends the tallest and biggest of those boys running with his tail between his legs, crying like a baby. The rest follow quickly, and the group makes their way over. They all have some sort of physical injury, so that fight had to have been somewhat difficult.

"You are alright, small boy?" a rather tall, blonde kid asks Bruce, and he just nods. There goes the shyness.

"Dude, you gotta be _crazy_ to tangle with those guys!" another one answers. This one's hair is blonde too, but more of a dirty blonde. "They practically own this place! How'd you even get over here?" he has blood pouring from his nose.

"I... I walked..." Bruce answers quietly, a rosy blush rising to his cheeks. He can't help himself any longer. He pulls a tissue out of his pocket and hands it to the kid. "Y-Your parents... They won't be happy if... If you go home covered in b-blood..." Bruce said, wiping his own bloody nose on his shirt sleeve. He'd come home covered in blood so many times, his mother had become a master at getting the stain out.

The kid watches Bruce, and laughs, taking the tissue and wiping his nose, then holding it there to stop the flow. Bruce knows this guy has seen Bruce's type of kid before, because he doesn't question him about his action.

"What's your name, kid?" the girl asks. She's going to have a nasty black eye tomorrow if she doesn't ice it soon.

"Bruce..." he mutters, his voice barely audible. "Bruce Banner."

"Nice to meet you, Bruce!" the boy who caught him earlier had gone to join the group. "I'm Anthony Stark, but you can call me Tony." Tony smiles a truly charming smile, and Bruce can tell he's going to like this guy.

"I'm Clint, last name's Barton." says the kid Bruce handed the tissue to. Clint smiles too, but it seems like he tries to make it extremely goofy. Bruce can't help himself, he laughs.

"My name's Natasha Romanov." the girl says, but she doesn't smile. She keeps a serious look on her face.

"Steve Rogers." says the other blonde, and Bruce recognizes him as the kid with the trashcan lid. He offers Bruce a hand, and Bruce shakes it. He thinks vaguely that Steve would make a good soldier.

"And I am Thor Odinson." the tallest one says, then pulls the boy that had the stick earlier to his side. "This is my brother, Loki." Loki stares down at the ground, seeming reluctant to speak. Thor shakes him a tiny bit, and he looks back up, forcing a smile.

"Nice to meet you..." he says, then stares back down at his shoes. Bruce mentally makes a note about Loki. 'Doesn't like new people.'

"So, you wanna go back to my place and play with us? We were just about to start a new round!" Clint says, and Bruce eagerly agrees.


	3. Bruce's Monster

**Author's note: Okay, I'm a liar. THIS should be what tense the rest of the story is written in, unless I specify otherwise. **

**This chapter... Jeez, it took so long to get this out. It was in my brain, but I couldn't form the sentences the way I wanted... Anyways, here it is! Enjoy!**

**I do ****_NOT_**** own Marvel of the Avengers.**

_Six years later_

Bruce sat by himself in the library, attempting to concentrate on his calculus homework. Usually he loved doing calculus, but... He was a bit... distracted at the moment.

"You're a loser, Bruce." Loki's voice came as a soft whisper. Bruce knew that was only because he didn't want to attract attention to them.

"No, I'm not." Bruce replied, scribbling down the next step to solving the problem on his paper. This had been happening for weeks now. He'd go to the library after school to try and finish his homework and Loki'd come in after him, sit down with him, and spit quiet fire his way. It was starting to get to Bruce.

"Oh come on. You seriously think you're cool?"

"I never said that. All I said was that I'm not a loser."

Loki rolled his eyes at the curly headed teen. "_Really_, Banner? Why would you think you aren't a loser?"

"Because I have friends." Bruce replied, scribbling down some more work.

"Fr-" Loki looked exasperated. "Friends? What friends?"

"Tony and the others."

Loki laughed. "You_ can't_ be serious! Those guys don't think of you as a _friend_, Bruce." he scooted his chair closer to Bruce and leaned over the table. "I'm going to let you in on a secret."

Bruce dropped his pencil on the table and faced Loki, glaring his way. "_Please_, enlighten me." he said sarcastically. What was he going to say? They just keep you around for your looks?

"They feel _sorry_ for you." Loki said, tapping his pointer finger on the table as if it was common knowledge. "They've felt sorry for you since the first day they_ met_ you. Why do you think they saved you from those boys? Because they wanted to? No. They felt sorry for you!"

"That... That isn't true." Bruce picked up his pencil again, turning away from Loki. He was not going to listen to this.

"_Of course_ it's true." the raven-haired boy said, smirking slightly at Bruce's reaction. It was exactly what he'd wanted. "Why else would they still keep you around? That would be like saving a dying cat and not keeping it."

"That's not at all the same thing."

"You're so stubborn." Loki rolled his eyes. "You just don't want to see it, that's what it is. You don't want to accept the fact that you're a hopeless, boring, loser that has no real friends. Probably never have and probably never will."

He wasn't sure why, but Bruce could feel himself getting upset. Stuff like this never usually made him upset...

"I guess it's because you're so awkward." Loki says, as if they were merely having a conversation. "You're hard to be around, you make everyone else feel awkward."

"Stop talking..." Bruce said through clenched teeth. He was getting more and more upset every time Loki spoke.

"Why, Brucey?" Loki said, and Bruce could hear the smoke in his voice. "You afraid of hearing the truth? Afraid to know that you're a _freak_? Afraid to know that there's a monster inside you?"

There were tears welling up in Bruce's eyes, but they weren't years of sadness. They were angry tears, hot and stinging his eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

"They hate you." Loki's voice was a harsh whisper now, right next to Bruce's ear. "They want nothing to do with your _pathetic_,_ awkward_,_ idiotic_-"

Loki stopped talking when he felt Bruce's hand snake it's way around his throat. The hold was firm, but it wasn't squeezing... Yet.

Bruce slowly rose from his chair, his hair falling his face, masking the tears now staining his cheeks, still falling. The hand that was holding onto Loki pushed him backwards until the raven-haired boys back collided with the wall. Bruce didn't even look up as his other hand, in the form of a fist, came up to make contact with Loki's nose. He pulled it back and struck again, this time hitting Loki's stomach, knocking the breath from him. He let go of his throat and let him fall to the ground.

"It was jerks like you who made me afraid to come to school everyday!" Bruce yelled, ignoring the fact that they were currently in a library. "People like you made me afraid to leave my damned house!" he punctuated that sentence with a punch to the jaw, and was about to strike again when he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his upper torso, pulling him backwards, struggling to get away.

He looked back at Loki through the hot tears still falling from his eyes, and saw Thor and Steve hauling the bleeding teen off the floor.

"This is what I mean, Bruce!" the boy yelled. "You have a monster locked away in you! All it takes is a little stimulation to release it!"

At this, Bruce struggled harder to get away from whoever was holding him. He wanted nothing more than to beat Loki to a bloody pulp and leave him there, letting the stain soak into the carpet.

"Bruce, you _have_ to calm down."

Tony. That was Tony's voice in his ear.

"I don't know what he did, or what he said, but you have to calm down. There's no more reason for you to hurt him, Thor and Steve got that taken care of." Tony turned Bruce around in his arms, and hugged him tightly to his chest.

Tony's voice was a whisper, soft and even. Bruce could feel the anger leaving him, and he snaked his arms ever-so-slowly around Tony, and actually cried. The tears before had merely slipped out against his will. These, he let these come, and before long he was sobbing into Tony's shoulder, not able to contain the strangled noises that escaped his mouth. Time and time again he tried to say 'I'm sorry' but it came out as a whimper. He felt worse than he probably should have, but he couldn't help it. Loki had been right. He did have a monster inside him.


	4. Filler

Author's Note: I am SO sorry about this chapter... It took too long to write, it's too short, it's pretty much just filler, and... Maybe I made Clint a little hot-headed, but it fits right? Please tell me if it's too out of character, because then I'll change it. Anyways, I live you guys so much! Thank you bunches for your faves/reviews! Enjoy!

I do NOT own Marvel of the Avengers.

Walking home with Tony, Clint had to listen to the young genius ramble on and on about how pissed off he was that Loki had even thought he could pull something like that without retaliation. Clint could understand Tony's anger, though.

Bruce had been a totally in-the-shell kind of guy. He was really shy and hardly ever wanted to talk. Tony took Bruce under his metaphorical wing, slowly coaxing him out of that metaphorical shell. He helped him hatch, per say.

So, Bruce had become like a little brother to Tony. Tony would do anything to make sure that no one ever hurt Bruce, when in reality, it should be the other way around.

Tony had heart problems. Bad ones. When he was nine, he somehow caught a bullet, meant for someone else, right in his chest. He had to go to the hospital, and had this thing put in his chest (Clint couldn't remember what it did). As a result, Tony couldn't be around open flame or anything that had a strong magnetic pull.

Clint couldn't listen to Tony ramble any longer, and aimed a not-too-hard punch at the boy's shoulder.

"Dude, I _get_ it!" he said. "Shut up already." Clint shoved his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Sorry..." Tony said with a sigh. "I'm just-"

"Upset, I know."

"Well, yeah, but I was gonna say confused."

"Confused? Why?"

"Well..." Tony started. "I just don't get what made him do it."

"Well, obviously Loki must've-"

"Not Bruce! I mean Loki. What made him say whatever he said to make Bruce go nuts like that?"

Clint sighed, running his hand through his dirty-blonde hair.

"Tony, I think what you should be focusing on right now, is why Bruce went nuts." he said. "He's never done anything like that before... Remember that time in fourth grade when he accidentally hit that one kid and made him bleed? He almost threw up."

"I know... It is pretty weird isn't it? I mean, sure he broke down afterwards, but before he knew it was me holding him back, he acted like he was going to try and go after me too." Tony said, and even though he tried to hide it, Clint could hear the hurt in his voice. "It's like something else took over. Something that either didn't know or didn't care about the difference between friend or foe."

"It's called blind fury, dude." Clint said quietly.

"But... There's just no way that-"

"Tony, stop." Clint said. "You can't have figure out everything. No matter how much you want to. Sometimes, you have to quit being a scientist and be part of your family."

Tony stopped dead in his tracks.

"What do you think I'm trying to do, Clint?" he said, staring at the other boy. "I can't help it if I over analyze everything. I can't help it if I-"

"But you_ can_ help your little brother out, man." Clint interrupted. They had long been ignoring the fact that Tony and Bruce weren't related. "Right now, you should be with him at his house right now instead of Natasha, instead if walking home with me. He needs you! And all your doing right now is being a selfish, annoying, insensitive jerk!"

By the look on Tony's face, Clint knew he had crossed a line, but he couldn't care less right now. He pushed past Tony, heading home. He knew he'd probably get his butt kicked tomorrow if Tony was still mad, but he pushed the thought out if his head and broke into a hard run towards his home.


	5. Feelings and some movies

**Author's note: Please don't hate me because this has taken too long! I'm not gonna lie, as busy as I've been, I've had time to do this, I just haven't. I finally wrote this though!**

**I was gonna tell you guys, I want to do another series on the side of this one that was just prompts. It would be things that happened in this story-universe, but that just doesn't happen in the actual story. Any ideas for it? Gah! Stop rambling! Kay, Enjoy!**

**I do ****_NOT_**** own Marvel or the Avengers**

Bruce sat in his room on his bed, staring out his window. Natasha had left a few minutes earlier. Bruce had to make her go home. She didn't want to leave him by himself, but he assured her that he'd be just fine. The tears he had cries had long since dried, leaving faint stains on his cheeks. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. It happened hours ago, but it seemed like an eternity. He couldn't _believe_ he'd been so blinded by his own rage... The words that Thor had said while Bruce had clung to Tony like a lifeline were echoing in his head.

**_"You are a bully and a coward!"_**

The words were so full of anger, yet so full of disappointment. It left a bitter taste in Bruce's mouth just thinking about it. The words weren't meant for him, that much he knew, but he couldn't help thinking that they should have been. The way he acted was unacceptable to him, even if Loki had provoked-

His thoughts were stopped short as the shut door to his room flew open. Bruce tuned towards the door, surprise on his face at who was standing there. None other than Anthony Stark stood in his door way, bent over, hands on his knees, breathing ragged and heavy.

"My _God_, Tony did you _run_ all the way over here?!" Bruce said, getting up and going over to his best friend.

"Six... Blocks..." he managed, standing up fully and resting his hands on top of his head in order to get the oxygen to his lungs quicker. "Couldn't leave you... By yourself..."

"But you could've walked! Or _called_ first! I could've come and got you or-"

"Bruce! Seriously, calm... Down. I'm_ fine_." Tony said, finally getting his breath back. "It's fine."

"You're an idiot, Tony." Bruce said, shaking his head. "But thank you."

"Ah, no problem man." Tony said, that signature smile on his face. "Can I ask you, though, _what the hell_ happened?"

Bruce bit his lip, casting his gaze down to the soft beige of the carpet in his room. "Well, uh..." He told Tony in great detail what had happened, and the other boy stood there quietly as he did so. "And so, I... Kindly beat the living crap put of him."

"Serves him right." Tony said, and Bruce could hear it in his voice. He was trying so hard not to sound pissed off, but he was failing miserably. Bruce was about to say that he felt terrible for doing it, and would take it back in a heart-beat if he had the chance, but Tony spoke before he did.

"I hope you aren't regretting it." Tony said, his eyes fixed on Bruce. "Because, it'd be stupid if you did. He was so out of line-"

"I was _out of line_ Tony!" Bruce practically yelled. "Just because someone says something to you that makes you upset or mad _doesn't_ mean you can hurt them!" Bruce didn't understand how Tony didn't understand how much this upset him. He had harmed another person! Why was he-?

"He deserved it!" Tony yelled back. "What part of that don't you get?! _I don't care_ who said it or why! Even if it was a total stranger, nobody's upset about it but you!"

Bruce got a whole lot quieter when he spoke this time. "It may not mean anything to you guys," he said. "But it means something to me. It means that I'm a bully... And a coward."

"You know when Thor said that he didn't mean you." Tony asked, also having lowered his voice.

"Yes, but it's true."

"You aren't a bully or a coward. _You_ weren't the one who was telling the other they suck. _You_ weren't the one who stood back while the time-bomb that was inevitably going to go off at some point finally explode. Sure, maybe beating the crap out of Loki wasn't the_ best_ idea, but it's over and done." Tony said.

Bruce shut his eyes tight, not looking at Tony. He knew Tony was right, but he didn't want to believe him. He didn't want to think that there was any justice in using violence against someone else because it scared him... Okay, that was a lie. It didn't scare him. It_ excited_ him. In a good way. A good way that was bad. He didn't want to get addicted to this. He didn't want to become something else. He wanted to be Bruce Banner the science nerd, not Bruce Banner the violent jerk.

"I guess you're right..." he finally muttered as he looked back up at Tony, who had a triumphant smile gracing his face.

"Sweet." he said. "Why don't We head over to my place, call the others and have movie night?"

"Sounds great."


	6. Angst with a side of fluff

**Authors Note: Since I didn't say it in this chapter anywhere, Thor is at his home during the gang's Movie Night. He didn't want to go because he would've been kind of a downer. And yes, the information Loki supplies is correct :-)**

**I know this strays from what was happening earlier, but I wanted to write soothing fluffy ^-^ hopefully this is okay with you guys… My updating will be a little random for a while, because of school and junk. 10****th**** grade is killer :-/**

**Well, anyways, enjoy this chapter! ****I DO **_**NOT**_** OWN MARVEL OR THE AVENGERS**

The book hit the wall with a sickeningly loud thwack. The blonde picked up something else –He didn't see what he'd picked up- and threw it at the wall too. To say he was upset would be an understatement. Thor felt as though he could reach out and take a handful of his heartache right out of the air and stick it in his pocket. He couldn't understand why Loki had suddenly decided to act the way he had. Was it something that Thor had done? Something he had said? He couldn't even begin to try and fathom what had happened. The fact that Bruce had been the target confused the blonde even more. Loki's problem was with Thor, not his friends.

And he still wasn't sure where that problem had come from either. Well, okay, he actually did know where that problem came from, but he didn't understand it. Ever since Loki had found out he was adopted, he had been very bitter towards Thor and their parents. He tended to stay in his room, away from the rest of the house. He only joined them at dinner when Odin made him, and even then he did so begrudgingly. There were many times that Thor was so very tempted to tell his raven-haired brother that he needed to grow up and stop acting like a brat. So what if he wasn't blood related to the family? They had raised him from the time he was a child. He had grown up in this house with Thor and the rest of the gang. But of course, Thor knew his stubborn brother wouldn't listen to him. He hadn't before he had known he was adopted, so why would he now?

The quarterback picked up yet another book, and sent in flying into the wall. He ran his left hand through his hair, falling backwards onto his bed. How did things end up this way? Any further thought on the subject was interrupted by a buzzing coming from his phone. He groped around on the bed for it until his hands closed around it and he pressed the green button.

"Hello?" He said, thinking that he probably should've checked who it was before answering.

"Hey Thor," The sweet feminine voice came through his receiver, and a smile instantly spread on the blonde's face. Jane Foster.

"Jane… It is good to hear your voice." He said, the smile never leaving his face.

"We just talked a few hours ago!" she laughed. "But it's good to hear your voice too. How's life treating you?"

"Better than it is treating others."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked. Her voice was suddenly full of concern. "Did something happen your brother?"

"Well… yes and no." Thor answered, not sure exactly how to explain the situation. He decided to start from the beginning, going off of what Loki had so willingly told him. He told the story, never pausing long enough for Jane to get word in. She would get him off on something else –like how mean his brother was- if he let her give her opinion. When he was finished, she immediately spoke.

"You can't be serious." She said. "How long has this been happening?"

"For about three weeks according to Bruce." The much they had been able to get out of the broken-down teen. Thor sighed. "Jane, I do not know what to do…"

"What do you think you _should_ do, Thor?"

"I am not sure… I want to tell him that he is being childish and idiotic, but he would not let me speak to him."

Jane sighed, and Thor could almost see the look of concentration she no doubt had on her face. She was very smart, was always thinking, and Thor was fascinated by it. He enjoyed watching her do her critical thinking homework. She would stare long and hard at whatever paper she had been given, and just as she began to jot down an answer, she would shake her head, and quickly erase it. Then she'd stare longer, biting her lip as she did so, and repeat the process three or four more times before she found an answer she could live with.

"That doesn't seem like the best idea." She said finally. "I would try talking to him at school. Somewhere that he can't avoid you, but somewhere that he can't make a scene either."

"What do I say?"

"Well…" Jane said, and she was quiet again. After a few minutes she spoke. "Tell him you don't understand why he's acting out like this, but you aren't mad at him. That you just want to know what happened, if you did something or said something to upset him." She paused for a moment. "And whatever else you need to say that I can't come up with."

Thor nodded, and then he remembered they weren't face-to-face. "Thank you."

"Hey, it's no problem." Thor could hear the smile in her voice, and he smiled too. It was infectious.

"I do not mean any offense Jane, but why did you call?"

"I just…" She got quiet, and Thor was afraid their connection had gotten cut off, but then she spoke. "I… I know it's stupid, but I… I missed your voice."

"It is not stupid." Thor answered. "I missed your voice too…"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"You can't say anything until after I'm done, okay?" She said. Her tone was very serious.

"I promise."

"Okay, well… You know, when we met, I really wasn't sure about you. I mean, sure I felt bad for hitting you with my car –still do- but, you were just so… brash back then. I wasn't sure I should be around you, but then there was just something so… so enticing about being with you. You were so dangerous and so fun to be around. I think part of it may have been that Uncle Eric didn't want me to hang around you." Jane took a pause, but Thor didn't dare speak. He knew she wasn't finished. He could feel his heart racing. He hoped she was going where he thought she was with this.

"And then you got into that fight with the huge guy and for the first time I was really scared. I mean, I'd been scared before, but this was true fear. I was _terrified _that I was going to lose you, and I couldn't bear that. But then you were okay, and I felt… I can't even begin to explain it. I was… happy I guess. Happy that you were alive, and happy that you'd be around, and then… Then we kissed…"

"I still think about that." Thor interrupted, totally shattering his promise. He couldn't help it though. He wanted her to know that he still remembered how he felt when it had happened. He wanted her to know how he felt.

"I do too," She said. "Which brings me to the point of my rant. In a nutshell, I think I love you."

"I'm sure that I love you." Was Thor's response.


	7. Spilled coffee, borrowed clothes

**Author's Note: Ha-ha, a little drama in this chapter :-) I took a tiny break from the romance, and due to the wanting of it, put Loki in this chapter. So, yeah. And, make a mental note of that waitress ;) She'll be returning. Anyways, enjoy!**

**I DO **_**NOT**_** OWN MARVEL OR THE AVENGERS**

"Remind me why I let you drag me out here?"

"Because you love me."

"But it's so cold out!"

"That's why you have me."

November was a stupid time to be going out anywhere, Tony knew this much, but he and Pepper hadn't been out in a month, so he felt like he needed to take her somewhere. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to his side as they walked. He could feel her shivering, and he immediately felt terrible for dragging her out of her warm house. But, they were almost at the coffee shop, and it would be warm there.

"Can I ask you something, Tony?" Pepper asked, he warm breath heating up the air in front of them.

"Of course."

"Graduation is only a year away. What are we going to do when it gets here?"

"Well, we're probably going to grad-"

"Be serious, please."

Tony sighed. Seriousness was _not_ his forte. "Well, to be honest, I don't know Pepper. What do you want to do?"

"Well, it all depends on what college we get accepted to." Pepper said. "I mean, I'm not saying we should split up when graduation gets here, we just need to figure out how we're going to-"

"We'll make it work." Tony interrupted. "Don't worry about it Pepper. You said yourself that it's a year away. We'll worry when it gets here." Pepper sighed, but she didn't say anything else. Tony took this as an 'okay, fine. I don't want to, but whatever.'

A few quiet moments later, they came to the small, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop where they'd had their first date. Tony held the door open for Pepper, and she walked in with a smile and a 'thank you.' Tony followed after, and they walked to the table they always sat.

"I'm going to go wash my hands." She said, and walked towards the bathroom. Toy only nodded and went up to the counter to order their drinks. He didn't take notice of the familiar raven-haired, green-eyed boy sitting at a table in the back, near the bathrooms. It was Loki. Of course, the fact that the cheerleader and her boyfriend were here was only a stroke of luck on his part. He quickly began to formulate a plan in his head.

Tony, oblivious to the current situation, was walking back to the table, coffee in hand. He had just set them on the table when a scream and a loud clatter split the quiet atmosphere of the place. He looked up, and there was Pepper, now dripping wet with hot coffee, and a brunette waitress apologizing as quickly as she can, trying to dry the blonde off with the towel that was over her shoulder. It was then that Tony noticed Loki. He was sitting in the same spot, with a smirk on his face as he watched the scene unfold.

Tony had never felt rage bubble up in him that quickly. He narrowly resisted the urge to go over there and beat the crap out of the boy, but he restrained himself. Instead, he went over to Pepper and the waitress. He shooed the woman away, and handed Pepper his jacket.

"Take yours off and give me it."

"Tony, no, it's cold, you'll-"

"Just take it, Pepper."

She sighed and took the jacket from him. She shrugged off her own, which was sopping wet, and handed it to Tony. Then, she put his jacket on. Tony went over to the table and grabbed their still-hot drinks. He cast a death-glare at Loki. "Watch your back." He said to him. "I'm not letting this go without consequence." Tony then handed Pepper her coffee and guided her outside.

(time skip)

"Seriously? You're making me wear your Black Sabbath shirt?" Pepper complained, tugging at the bottom of the shirt. It hung loosely around her small frame. So did the sweatpants she borrowed. She had to pull the drawstring tightly around her waist to get them to stay up.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look wearing my clothes?" Tony asked, a smile on his face.

"Shut up, Tony." Pepper laughed. They had gone to Tony's house after the incident, since it was closer than Pepper's was. She had showered, and borrowed some of Tony's clothes. Tony's dad was home, but he wasn't worried about them. They were good, honest kids. Plus, he was too busy to check on them.

"Well, you do!" Tony laughed as well. Pepper sat down on the couch, and Tony's black and white cat, Jarvis, jumped up to join her. He curled up in her lap, purring happily when she began petting him.

"Please don't get in trouble…" Pepper said, looking down at the beige carpet. She curled her black painted toes in it, and even though she'd felt it a million times, it never ceased to amaze her at how soft it was

"What do you mean?"

"If you… you retaliate."

"Pepper, you know I won-"

"But what if you do?" She interrupted, looking up at him. "What if you get into a fight in a public place or at school and you get arrested? What'll you do then? And don't you _dare_ say something stupid like 'Well Dad will bail me out.' " She said the last part in a horrible impression of a male voice.

"I don't know, Pepper." Tony said. "Do whatever they tell me I guess."

Pepper scoffed. "You're only telling me that because you know I want to hear it."

"Well, you already told me not to say what would happen."

"Why can't you just do things like a normal person for once?!"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, we aren't normal, Pepper!" Pepper glared at Tony, her eyes narrowed.

"You are just so stubborn. Just like your da-"

"Don't you dare compare me to him!" Tony yelled, standing up. Pepper had known better, but she'd done it anyway. She squeaked and flinched when he got up, knowing he wasn't going to, but afraid that he would hit her. Almost immediately, his expression changed. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

Too late. Pepper had already gotten up, and was making a break for the door. Tony ran after her, catching her arm just before she got to the door. He spun her around and trapped her in a hug, which she melted into without a fight.

"I'm so sorry…" They both whispered.


	8. Library meetings

Loki walked down the street, headed towards the library. He didn't really have a reason to be going, other than it was Saturday, and it was a habit. He had his hands in the pockets of his black leather jacket. He wasn't wearing it to keep warm, just because it was his favorite jacket. He actually rather enjoyed the cold, had since he was little. He found it sort of humorous to see all the people bundled up in coats and gloves and scarfs, trying to keep out the cold when he just wore a simple jacket, welcoming the bone chilling wind.

He came to the door of the library, and pushed it open. He stepped inside, and was fairly surprised by who he saw. There was Bruce Banner, sitting in one of the library chairs, reading what looked like the Hunger Games. Loki thought it was a bit weird that Bruce would be here on a Saturday, considering what had just happened yesterday… Should he go and talk to him? No, of course he shouldn't. That would be stupid. Banner should hate him now, but that's how he wants things, that's how he needs things to-

"Why am I surprised to see you here?" Loki found himself saying, now standing next to Bruce. The boy looked up, a bit startled, then confused.

"I… I could ask you the same question." He stuttered, shutting his book. "Look, um… I don't know what you came over here for, but we aren't-"

"Tony's probably going to try and kill me later." Loki said, totally ignoring what Bruce was going to say. He didn't care how the nerd felt, he just needed to talk.

"Why is that?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, we had a… run-in earlier. I tripped a waitress. She spilled coffee all over Pepper."

"Why-"

"For a little fun, of course." Loki said with a smirk. "I've never really liked that blonde a-"

"Don't make fun of her." Bruce interrupted. He stared hard at the teen in front of him. "She deserves more respect than that, and I will _not_ sit here and let you talk bad about her."

Loki barely hid a smirk. He wasn't actually trying to hit a nerve, but it was just lucky that he did. Of course, he really didn't think Pepper was a stereotypical air-headed blonde like he was going to say she was. She was actually quite smart. But he didn't want anyone thinking he was still friends with these people.

"Oh, I know. She's just lucky to have friends like you to defend her, since she can't herself."

"Seriously, dude, shut up."

Loki was about to say something else, but the look on Banner's face stopped him. His gaze was locked on the door, his eyes wide. Loki turned, and there was Tony. It was obvious he'd come looking for a fight. He didn't have Pepper with him.

All of the sudden, Loki felt a tug at his arm, and he was being pulled deeper into the library and away from the door.

"What're you doing?" Loki questioned as they moved deeper into the library. "You shouldn't be helping me!"

"If I don't, it'll make me no better than you." Bruce answered. "I may not be happy with the current relationship between us, but I will _not_ sit idly by and let you get your sorry butt kicked."

Loki was at a loss. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say. So, he kept his mouth shut until they stopped moving. As soon as Bruce's grip on Loki's arm slackened, Loki jerked his arm away. He wasn't comfortable with this, having someone actually try and help him. Not that he wanted to get beat-up today, quite the opposite actually, but he didn't like feeling this helpless. Like a little child. It made him feel the exact same way he felt when he found out that he was adopted. He had never felt more helpless in his life. He couldn't imagine a worse feeling.

Well, he was pretty sure he would soon. Someone (he was pretty sure he knew who0, took a handful of the back of his shirt and spun him around. Turns out he was right, it was Tony, and he looked like he was about to spit fire.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are," He started. "But you will _not_ get away with making a fool of my girlfriend. I don't care what your problem is, it's not gonna fly."

"I do what I want." Loki said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you care if I do something to make your girlfriend look stupid? It isn't like it's hard. She does a pretty good job herself."

Loki knew he'd crossed a line, even before Tony cursed at him and raised his fist to hit him. He shut his eyes and braced for the impact, but it never came. He hesitantly opened his eyes and he couldn't believe what he saw.

Bruce had stepped in front of him, just in time to be hit instead of Loki. Bruce's eyes were shut tightly, his bottom lip was drawn into his mouth, and his nose was bloody. Tony's eyes were wide, and he looked like he was about to puke.

"I didn't-" He started to say, but Bruce held up a hand to stop him.

"I know." He said. He brought his sleeve up to his nose and wiped away the blood, turning to face Loki. "Get out of here. Go home before you cause any more trouble."

As much as Loki hated to do what he was told, he merely nodded and walked past the two friends, running out of the library. He felt like he was going to cry. Had he really just let Bruce get hurt on his account? He stopped running, not able to keep going. He moved his hair out of his face, and got sick in a bush.

As soon as he recovered, he sat on the sidewalk, his head in his hands. What was he doing? That was a dumb question. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was letting his former friends get hurt for no reason… But there was a reason. As selfish as it may be, it was a reason.

It was for a girl.


	9. A breakdown, and Peggy Carter

**Author's note: Let me just apologize for all the fluffy stuff lately. I'm just trying to bring in all the love interests, and It's kinda getting silly... And sorry for the weird updating times. School and stuff, Y'know? Well, anyways, Rate, Review, and Enjoy!**

_**I do **__**NOT**__** own Marvel or the Avengers.**_

Man, did hot water feel amazing right now.

Standing under the hot spray, Steve ran his fingers through his hair, working in shampoo. He'd just gotten back from a terribly brutal football practice, and he felt like every muscle in his body was in a knot. But they were slowly unwinding, thanks to the almost boiling hot water. The blonde leaned back into the water, rinsing the lather from his hair. Just as he finished, his phone rang, blasting Frank Sinatra. He sighed. _"So much for a relaxing shower..."_ He thought, and shut the water off. He pulled the curtain back and grabbed a towel, securing it around his waist before grabbing his phone off the bathroom counter and hitting the green 'Answer' button.

"Rogers." He said into the device. He hadn't checked the caller I.D, so he couldn't use the caller's name.

"I'm having a mental break-down." Tony's voice came through the phone. "I'm a horrible, terrible person and deserve to be shot."

"Whoa, slow down man." Steve said. "What happened?"

"I nailed Bruce right in the nose! I made him bleed!"

"Wait, what?" Steve questioned, a bit alarmed. "Why did you...?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Tony whined "We were at the library, and I went to hit Thor's stupid brother, and Bruce just... He stepped in front of him."

"He was protecting him?"

"Kind of. I think he was just trying to stop it from getting violent. "Tony said. "See where that got him?"

"Tony," Steve warned. "You caused it. Don't get that way." Steve heard the genius sigh.

"I know, I'm just..." He left it there. "Were you doing something important?"

"Nah." Steve said, deciding not to complain. "What's going on with you? Y'know, other than your mental breakdown?"

"Not really much." Tony said. "Oh, hey, that girl asked me about you today... What was her name... Penny?"

"Peggy?" Steve asked, opening the bathroom door and heading for his room to put some clothes on. "Peggy Carter?"

"Yeah, that was it."

"What'd she say?"

"She wanted to know if she could interview you for the school paper." Tony said. "The Paper's doing a whole section on the football team."

"She asked for me? Specifically?" Steve asked, tugging on a pair of pajama pants. He was holding the phone between his shoulder and his ear,.

"Yeah," Tony said. "She said, _'Could you see if you could get me Steve Rogers for the paper?'_" Tony's impression of a girls voice was terrible. "She said that everybody was going to get and interview, and it was pretty much first come first served, and she wanted you."

"Wow..." Steve muttered. His heart fluttered. Peggy Carter, the girl of his dreams, had personally asked for him. "You think she likes me?"

"Maybe. Or maybe she just thinks you're a good player." Tony said, only half-joking.

"I hope it's the former rather than the latter."

"Hey, we all do man." Tony said. Steve could hear the smile in his voice. "Just like you all supported me getting with Pepper."

"Thanks, man."

"Hey, same to you."

"So," Tony asked. "If you had the chance, would you ask her out?"

"I..." The blush that rose to Steve's cheeks was involuntary. "I don't think I'd be able to get the words out." Being around Peggy Carter made it hard for Steve to breathe, let alone speak.

"Well, I just hope you have the b-"

"Yeah, I get it." They both laughed.

"You wanna come over and play some Minecraft?" Tony asked.

"Nah, can't tonight." Steve answered. "Got homework."

"Ah. the jock's gotta keep his grades up."

"Shut up." Again, they laughed.

"I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

"Ditto, bro."


	10. Darcy and Betty

**Author's note: Don't expect the updates to be this frequent! I'm only doing this one because I love you guys and it's the weekend! Oh, and remember the old couple in this chapter. Remember their story. Also, you remember the waitress who spilled coffe on Pepper? Well, she's back!**

**Enjoy you guys!**

**I DO ****_NOT_**** own Marvel or the Avengers **

"You know you're being dumb right?"

"I am not."

"Loki." She said. "You are."

"Where exactly and you getting your information, Darcy?" Loki asked, shooting Darcy a look.

"I don't need a source to tell you you're being stupid." Darcy shoots back. "Your parents love you, your brother just wants you to be happy, and Jane isn't ever going to love you the way you want her to. She's in love with Thor. Get it through that thick head of yours."

Loki sighed, turning away from the brunette. "What don't you get about this?"

"Apparently everything."

He shouldn't have to explain this to her. _Again._ He'd already told her several times what the situation was. He didn't want to do it agian, but here he was.

"Ever since we were children, Thor's been the favorite." He started. He always started it this way. "In hindsight, i should've seen it sooner. They favored him because he was their child by blood. I was adopted. It wasn't out of love either, it was out of pity. My parents were killed, and they couldn't stand to see a baby left to die."

Darcy Lewis had heard this so many times, she could recite it along with him. She just... She enjoyed the time they spent together, loved hearing his voice. Even if he was talking about how in love he was with Jane Foster, Darcy's bestfriend, or how everything in his life sucked. She had to hear him talk.

"He's always had the support. No matter what he wanted to do, he's been able to do it." Loki says, and she hears the familiar emotion in his voice. Bitterness. "Everything he's ever wanted he's gotten. Even her. Jane Foster."

And when he says "The girl I love." Darcy mouthed the words right along with him, changing 'girl' to 'boy'. He wasn't looking at her, so he wouldn't see.

"So, what you're saying is," She said, causing him to turn towards her. "You have to get some sort of revenge?"

"If you knew that, why did you ask me to tell you?"

"Good story, I guess."

Loki just shook his head. "Want to go grab a coke with me?" He asked.

"Sure." Darcy agreed.

(This represents a Point of View change!)

The little bell on the door jingled when Bruce pushed it open, stepping into the warmth of the coffee shop. It was the same little place that was special to Tony and Pepper, and Bruce wouldn't have even come in here if he hadn't been up all night last night. He was acctually on his way to the library, but he needed caffine. He'd been working with a colleague of his dad's on gamma radiation. It was something he wanted to study when he finally got out of high school, so he jumped at the opprotunity to work on it.

He tugged off his gloves, tucking them in his coat pockets as he made his way to the line at the counter. He waited behind a terribly adorable older couple. They were telling the cashier how they'd been together for fifty-two years, and how it wouldn't last too much longer, because he had cancer and only had a few years left. It brought tears to Bruce's eyes. When they had sat down, Bruce stepped up to the counter, ordering a caramel macchiato with whipped cream and paying. He then went over to a table by the window to wait.

After a few minutes, a brunette waitress came over to where he was sitting.

"Caramel macchiato?" She questioned, and for a second he couldn't find his voice to say yes.

"Um, y-yes, thank you." He stuttered.

"No problem," she said. "Hey, um, don't you... Don't you go to Shield high?"

"I do." Bruce answered.

"I thought I saw you there last week." She said with a smile. "I just moved here a week ago and started school there. It's my senior year."

"Mine too." Bruce returned her smile.

"Awesome!" She said. "Oh, by the way, I'm Betty Ross."

"Bruce Banner."

She was about to say something else, but a voice from the back stopped her.

"Betty! Come here please!"

She sighed.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, Bruce." She smiled again, then rushed off to help whoever needed her. Bruce took his coffee, and headed out the door, a blush on his face. He had a feeling that Betty Ross was going to be on his mind a lot...


	11. Snow

**Author's note: oh my Lord, what is this chapter? *head desk* someone please hit me over the head with a hammer. I apologize for not updating, school has been... Yikes. I'll try to update again on Sunday, but don't hold me to it! My room is a hell-hole and I have to clean it... Anyway, enjoy!**

**I do ****_NOT_********own Marvel or the Avengers**

_Cold._

That's the only way Natasha knew how to describe this morning. There was snow covering the ground six inches thick, and_ still_ falling. School had been canceled the night before, but here she was in her fur lined boots, thick coat, that stupid had with the tassels on the sides that she _hated_ but wore anyway because Thor got it for her for Christmas last year, and gloves trudging to Clint's house. She wasn't alone. Pepper had been asked to go with her and the bubbly blonde agreed quickly. So, there the two girls were, walking through the flurry of fat snowflakes, deep in conversation.

"I'm telling you, Nat, there's something about that girl that Steve just doesn't know." Pepper said, shaking her head. "I don't know what it is either, but if she's hiding it, it _can't_ be good."

"Not necessarily," Natasha countered. "It could be something she's hiding for the good of everyone else. Like when I couldn't tell you guys anything about my parents because they were still government spies."

"Which is still pretty awesome," Pepper laughed. "But yeah, I guess you're right... It still just doesn't sit right with me."

"Guess we'll find out then."

The girls were quiet for a while, letting the sound of the swirling snow fill their cold ears until Pepper spoke again.

"So, did you and Clint ever officially start dating?" she asked. "You've been acting like a couple for months, but did you ever make it official?"

"No." Natasha answered. "And we aren't acting like a couple, we're just really close." after a short pause, she added: "Love is for children anyways."

"That's not true!" Pepper said. "How can you say that? Your parents love each other, don't they?"

"That's different."

"How is it different?!"

"Just drop it, Pepper." Even in this frozen air, Natasha could feel her cheeks growing hot. "We're here."

The two walked up to the familiar red brick house with the white door. It was Clint's house, plain and simple. Nothing special like other houses, no decorations no vibrant paint colors, nothing. Until you got to Clint's room.

It was like stepping into another world. The walls were dark red like blood and covered in over a hundred of pencil sketches Clint had done, and a few Natasha had done. Where there weren't sketches there were posters. Posters of Halo games, World of Warcraft, and DC comic heroes. His sheets were always a variation of gray, ranging from light like a feather, to dark like soot. His carpet was the color of cream.

It was like he lived in his own realm and he was the king. The mighty king who all the common people cheered for and wrote songs and poems about and hailed and prayed that he reigned forever. And even if she didn't know it, Clint had a queen reigning by his side.

Pepper rang the doorbell with her pink fabric covered finger. The two stood there for a moment before Natasha ran the bell for a second time. She knew his parents weren't home, their cars weren't here. So he had to be asleep. Or so she thought until she heard him yell, "Coming!" followed by a loud crash, a "Dammit!" through clenched teeth, and then the door handle turning and swinging open and there stood Clint, looking like a twister hit him. He only had one boot on, the other was tucked under his arm. His coat was hanging half off his shoulders, he had his gloves between his teeth, and his hat was shoved halfway in his pocket.

"Sorry," he said around the black material. "I forgot to set my damn alarm."

"I figured." Natasha said, taking the gloves from his mouth, and grabbing his hat from his pocket in an attempt to help him.

"Thanks." he said, and proceeded to hop around until he had tugged his boot on and shoved the end of his jeans in them. Then he took back his gloves and hat from Natasha, pulling them on. The three of them set out, back towards Tony's house.

"Tell me again why were walking through the snow at six o'clock in the morning to Tony's?" Clint asked, taking Natasha's hand in his. Without thinking about it, she threaded their fingers together before speaking.

"He said that..." she stopped short and stopped walking. Her eyes were slightly narrowed and Clint knew better than to speak. She was listening for the slightest of noises.

"What're you-" Pepper started.

"Hush!" Natasha snapped, then after a moment pushed the blonde gently over to a bush, dragging Clint by the hand along with them. The three crouched low in the freezing snow, watching through small holes in the bush. Down the sidewalk came Loki and Darcy.

The two walked slowly, speaking in low voices. Natasha had to listen hard, and he only barely heard them.

"She has cancer?" Darcy asked, almost disbelieving.

"If I heard her right." Loki said. "She was speaking on her phone to someone, I don't know who, but she said something about starting chemotherapy soon."

"My God..." Darcy said. "Steve will be crushed..."

"Don't be stupid, Darcy." Loki said. "They aren't even together yet."

"But he has a huge crush on her!" Darcy protested.

"That is true..." Loki said. A cruel smile formed on his lips. "Maybe we should inform him."

"You cannot be serious."

"Serious as death, my dear."

"I..." Darcy stopped walking. "No."

"No?"

"No. I won't let you do that to him. If she wants him to know, she'll say something."

"Do you not understand why I-"

"No, I do understand, and that's exactly why I'm not letting you do it!" she yelled, not caring who heard. "I'm _tired_ of this! I'm_ tired_ of having to go through every day listening to you talk about how jealous you are of your brother and how much you love Jane and how much you wish she was yours!"

"Darcy-" Loki tried interrupting, but didn't succeed.

"I've been there for you for years_, dammit_!" Darcy yelled, and Natasha could hear the tears in her voice. "I was there with you the day you found out you were adopted. I sat there with you while you cried. I was there at that soccer game that nobody else could come to. I was there the first time you rode a roller coaster and you were so scared." she paused to take a breath. "I held your hand the whole time. But I guess that doesn't mean anything to you. I guess the girl who's been in love with you since we were six doesn't mean anything." she lowered her head, pulling her glasses off and wiping her eyes.

"Darcy..." Loki's voice was much softer now. "I didn't know..."

"Of course you didn't." she said, she didn't say it accusingly, or like she was trying to be mean. She was understanding. "I never expected you to. I-"

A voice that belonged to a pissed off resident came from a second floor window.

"You damn kids! Go home and get off the streets! Nothing but no good street rats loitering around with their raging hormones and teenage angst!" the voice started to fade a bit at the word 'loitering' when the elderly woman walked back into her house.

"I'm going home." Darcy said, putting her glasses back on. She turned and walked a few steps, then broke into a run. There was no way that anyone was going to catch her. Loki sighed rather heavily and ran a hand through his dark hair before walking the other **direction.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Well, I'm sorry to say guys, I'm going to put this story on Hiatus. I hate to admit this, but I didn't plan anything out with this story. I wrote what came to mind, and it worked at first, but then not so much. I'm **NOT** discontinuing it, I'm just stopping for a while. I'll plan for the future, then I'll continue. In the mean time, I've been working on something a little different. I might post a sample, so read that if you want. Seriously, I'm really sorry... I feel like I've let you guys down, and I probably have, but it's what I feel like I need to do.


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